27 Islamic State militants killed
Fighting between militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Syrian rebel forces around a key strategic town in Syria killed at least 47 fighters, activists said on Saturday. At least 27 of those killed during fighting around the town of Marea were fighters from the Islamic State, the activists said, adding that the remaining were members of other rebel groups in the region. Various outfits have been fighting for control of the town, which lies in a region that the United States and Turkey have sought to turn into an Islamic State-free “safe zone”. Last month, activist and medical groups alleged that the militant outfit had used chemical weapons in an attack on the town.
Clinton ‘sorry’ for confusion over email
Former United States Secretary-of-State Hillary Clinton on Saturday said that she was sorry for the confusion caused by her use of a personal email account while she was in office. Clinton said that she had made a mistake by not using a government email account while working as the country’s top diplomat. However, she maintained that she had done nothing wrong by using a private account run on an unsecured server located at her home in New York. “The people in the government knew that I was using a personal account,” she said. Clinton, who is in the running to be the Democratic Party’s candidate for the country’s Presidential elections, has come under criticism from the opposition Republican Party for her use of the personal email address.
France considering airstrikes against IS
France is considering launching air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Le Monde said on Saturday. The Francois Hollande-led government is likely to address the matter during a press conference on Monday, the report said. The French newspaper said that while Paris has refused to carry out air strikes in Syria over fears that it would allow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hold on to power, the government was reconsidering its position due to various issues, including the “accelerating exodus of Syrian refugees” and the failure of the coalition against the Islamic State to make advances against the group.
Houthi missile strike kills 10 Saudi soldiers
A missile strike by Houthi rebel forces in the eastern Maarib province of Yemen killed at least 10 Saudi soldiers on Friday. News reports said that the strike also killed 45 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates as well as five Bahrainis. The incident was reported to be one of the worst attacks on the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the rebels. However, Saudi military spokesperson Brigadier Ahmed Asiri said that the attack would not stop the coalition from continuing to provide assistance to pro-government forces in Yemen.
Snowden criticises Russia over approach to internet
Former United States intelligence contractor Edward Snowden on Saturday criticised Russia over its crackdown on internet freedoms in the country as well as its approach to gay rights. Snowden, who was granted asylum by Moscow after he leaked classified documents belonging to the US’ National Security Agency, said that the Russian government’s monitoring of its citizens’ online activities was “fundamentally wrong”. The whistle-blower’s remarks came while accepting the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression’s Bjornson prize.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
Fighting between militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Syrian rebel forces around a key strategic town in Syria killed at least 47 fighters, activists said on Saturday. At least 27 of those killed during fighting around the town of Marea were fighters from the Islamic State, the activists said, adding that the remaining were members of other rebel groups in the region. Various outfits have been fighting for control of the town, which lies in a region that the United States and Turkey have sought to turn into an Islamic State-free “safe zone”. Last month, activist and medical groups alleged that the militant outfit had used chemical weapons in an attack on the town.
Clinton ‘sorry’ for confusion over email
Former United States Secretary-of-State Hillary Clinton on Saturday said that she was sorry for the confusion caused by her use of a personal email account while she was in office. Clinton said that she had made a mistake by not using a government email account while working as the country’s top diplomat. However, she maintained that she had done nothing wrong by using a private account run on an unsecured server located at her home in New York. “The people in the government knew that I was using a personal account,” she said. Clinton, who is in the running to be the Democratic Party’s candidate for the country’s Presidential elections, has come under criticism from the opposition Republican Party for her use of the personal email address.
France considering airstrikes against IS
France is considering launching air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Le Monde said on Saturday. The Francois Hollande-led government is likely to address the matter during a press conference on Monday, the report said. The French newspaper said that while Paris has refused to carry out air strikes in Syria over fears that it would allow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hold on to power, the government was reconsidering its position due to various issues, including the “accelerating exodus of Syrian refugees” and the failure of the coalition against the Islamic State to make advances against the group.
Houthi missile strike kills 10 Saudi soldiers
A missile strike by Houthi rebel forces in the eastern Maarib province of Yemen killed at least 10 Saudi soldiers on Friday. News reports said that the strike also killed 45 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates as well as five Bahrainis. The incident was reported to be one of the worst attacks on the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the rebels. However, Saudi military spokesperson Brigadier Ahmed Asiri said that the attack would not stop the coalition from continuing to provide assistance to pro-government forces in Yemen.
Snowden criticises Russia over approach to internet
Former United States intelligence contractor Edward Snowden on Saturday criticised Russia over its crackdown on internet freedoms in the country as well as its approach to gay rights. Snowden, who was granted asylum by Moscow after he leaked classified documents belonging to the US’ National Security Agency, said that the Russian government’s monitoring of its citizens’ online activities was “fundamentally wrong”. The whistle-blower’s remarks came while accepting the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression’s Bjornson prize.